Where do you come from? – The ethnic bait of Buckingham Palace?

WHERE are you from? This is a question that comes up every time. And the triggers are usually type of dress, language spoken, name or manners. Something that draws attention to a person. And it was the question allegedly posed to a guest at a reception at Buckingham Palace, the seat of British royalty, in London that recently rocked the ethnic boat. This guest, Mrs. Ngozi Fulani, dressed in a kaleidoscope of colors and long tresses swirling down to her midsection, stood out in the chic surroundings where virtually everyone was in formal wear. Ngozi Fulani - by his dress - was a curiosity. And this combination of names too - Ngozi Fulani - itself is another curiosity trigger. Curiosity must have drawn her detractor, Lady Susan Hussey, to the curiosity Ms Fulani represented at the high profile gathering. Tall, elegantly dressed Lady Hussey, chaperone to Queen Consort Camilla, who was hosting a reception for charities in the UK, probably thought she was going to have a lighthearted encounter. But Ms Fulani, passing by the palace veteran's remote car, apparently saw an SNOB, and not just an 83-year-old who may be innocently looking to expand her contact list, with a collectible. The encounter was thrust into the public sphere and Lady Hussey got more than she bargained for - a sack. Fragile British royalty, embroiled in racist issues within the Royal Household, made Lady Hussey a sacrificial hen to appease the god of public opinion.

Now let's question the meeting between Lady Hussey and Mrs. Fulani. It started innocently enough :

Lady H: “Where are you from?”

Mrs. Fulani: "Sistah Space. (Her charity she represents at the reception)

Lady H: "No, where are you from?"

Mrs Fulani: 'We are based in Hackney'. (that his charity is in Hackney, London)

There were three more rigmarole questions and answers, and then Lady Hussey's clincher:

“… But what nationality are you? ".

Ms Fulani: “I was born here and I am British”.

Lady Hussey: "No, but where are you really from, where are your people from?".

It touched on the core of the hullabaloo – your nationality and where your people came from: you are different from us and Ms. Fulani finally indicated that her parents arrived in the 1950s and that she has African and Caribbean heritage . End of the long story.

The meeting between Lady Hussey and Mrs Fulani brings to the fore the enduring controversy between nationality and citizenship, one is naturally inherited from parenthood, while the other is conferred: nationality is immutable, immutable while that citizenship is changeable. In some cases, the two are mutually reinforcing when nationality and citizenship coincide.

In the future, the conflict between nationality and citizenship could become a hot spot, especially in many countries where a large immigrant population has acquired citizenship. For example, the emergence of the new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, a first-generation Briton of Indian nationality, has a dull underlying resentment.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

On a personal level, racial and ethnic baiting thrives around the world. There is always this feeling of separation, from us and from others. What often aggravates racial or ethnic tensions is the inferiority complex of these people of disadvantaged nationality. They are generally sensitive, often overly sensitive, to what is considered racial or ethnic bait. It was, for me, the inferiority complex manifested by Ms. Fulani. She can't pretend she doesn't know what the palace official meant by the question: Where are you from? She is in denial by not responding confidently to her African and Caribbean heritage, while insisting on her British citizenship. Is she ashamed of her national heritage? Had she responded with humor, ignoring any perceived disparagement in the question, perhaps she and Lady Hussey could end up establishing a relationship.

In his article on the incident entitled: Where are you from? Ms. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, wife of the two-time Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had pointed out that during receptions, the question: Where are you from? is often meant to be an icebreaker to establish a conversation. She had advised: “We should all be prepared to answer the question 'Where are you from?' “with such dignity and clarity”. This dignity and clarity was evidently lacking in Ms. Fulani. Ms. Fayemi, a well-traveled civil society activist with pedigree, had recounted her various encounters with the Where did the question come from and that she generally parried the question. What must be admitted is that such questions arise even within countries...